Perennial top contender Tara LaRosa was successful in her return to the cage on March 30 in Kearney, Neb. The submission specialist forced opponent Kelly Warren to tap out to an armbar with one second remaining in a featured bout at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 2.

LaRosa (21-2) and Warren (3-3) had been set to face off at 125 pounds, but what the fighters alleged to be a faulty sauna left a number of the RFA competitors struggling to make weight, and both LaRosa and Warren came in well over the contracted limit.

Warren was able to avoid LaRosa’s attempts to take the fight to the mat in a relatively uneventful first round. She kept her distance and landed one-twos and then took LaRosa’s back when the veteran attempted a hip toss. Warren closed out round one with knees to the thigh as LaRosa looked to set up a standing kimura.

The fighters exchanged cautious strikes in the second stanza until LaRosa pulled guard and swept into top position. Referee Jim Axtell brought the fight back to the feet soon after, and it was LaRosa who appeared to find her range with her punches as the round came to an end.

With the fight even on the scorecards, Warren took control early in round three. She first landed kicks from a distance before taking LaRosa’s back and slamming her to the canvas. LaRosa managed to reverse on the ground and attempted a series of submissions before passing to mount. She later took Warren’s back and landed punches to set up an armbar in the waning seconds of the fight. Warren tried to hold out until the bell but tapped out to the armbar at the 4:59 mark of round three.

LaRosa has tasted defeat only once in her past 19 fights, but opponents remain scarce for the veteran fighter, and most of the top contenders at 125 pounds currently compete in Bellator or top U.K. promotion Cage Warriors.

Also on the RFA 2 card, Elaina “Beef” Maxwell (7-4) earned a unanimous-decision victory over Ashley “Loca” Sanchez (4-3) in what was intended to be a featherweight bout. Maxwell and Sanchez also weighed in heavy, and neither was able to make the target weight of 145 pounds.

Sanchez circled on the outside and landed a variety of kicks in the first one as Maxwell looked to counter with punching combinations. Maxwell took down Sanchez and worked for a guillotine choke and an Achilles lock before the bell.

Round two was more of the same. The fighters traded strikes early before Maxwell scored a takedown. This time, she was much more active with her punches from the top, and she easily took the second round.

Sanchez had her best success of the fight in round three. She landed a lead left hook and three hard rights, but Maxwell displayed a solid chin. Maxwell pushed forward with punches, but Sanchez remained effective with kicks from a distance as the fight came to a close.

Despite a strong final round for Sanchez, it was not enough. All three cageside judges scored the bout 29-28 for Maxwell, who has won five of her past six fights. Maxwell appeared to be significantly slower than in recent bouts, however, and the tough weight cut may have played a factor in her performance once the fight began.

In the third and final women’s bout at RFA 2, top amateur prospect Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke (5-2) scored an impressive second-round submission win over Elizabeth Phillips (2-1). Duke forced Phillips to submit to a guillotine choke at the 58-second mark of round two. The 5-foot-11 Duke, who did successfully make weight for the bantamweight matchup, is expected to turn pro when she returns to action later this year.

Holland controlled most of the striking exchanges in the opening round with quick punches and body kicks. Kheyfets started slow but picked up the pace as the round progressed. She scored with a one-two, and Holland replied with a knee and a stiff jab. Holland landed a right hook that sent her opponent off-balance, but Kheyfets attempted to steal back the round with a late takedown and punches from the top.

Round two was all Holland. She dropped Kheyfets early with a right hook and followed with punches on the ground. Kheyfets defended well, however, and battled back to her feet. A barrage of punches sent Kheyfets to the mat again, but once more she recovered quickly and stood up. It looked as if she would make it to the bell, but Holland walked her down with punches and landed a devastating right hook in the final 20 seconds. An unconscious Kheyfets was sent crashing to the mat, and referee Todd Anderson waved off the bout at the 4:45 mark.

Nicole Chua submits Jeet Toshi in first ONE FC women’s bout

Singapore’s first female MMA fighter, Nicole Chua (1-0), picked up a quick win in her pro debut at “ONE Fighting Championship 3: War of the Lions” on March 31 in Singapore. Chua submitted seven-time Indian national kickboxing champion Jeet Toshi (1-1) with a rear-naked choke at the 2:07 mark of the first round.

Chua clinched early in the fight after a series of leg kicks from Toshi. She scored with knees to the body, but Toshi punched her way free and threw more kicks. Chua ducked under a right hook and scored a body-lock takedown. She moved to side control and landed slashing elbow strikes as Toshi tried to trap her in a headlock.

Chua landed knees to the body on the ground and passed straight to mount. She flurried with punches from the top until Toshi rolled and gave up her back. Chua then worked for a rear-naked choke. Her first attempt was unsuccessful, but she adjusted her grip, and Toshi was forced to submit. A jubilant Chua celebrated her win with her Evolve MMA teammates.

Dudieva moves to 8-1, stops West at ProFC 40

Russian standout Milana Dudieva (8-1) won her eighth straight fight on April 1 at ProFC 40 in Volgograd. Dudieva stopped England’s Danielle “The Curse” West (4-3-1) with punches in just 24 seconds.

Dudieva kept her distance at the outset of the fight and circled. West pushed forward and looked to be attempting a clinch, but Dudieva fired off three right hooks in succession. The third punch sent a dazed West to the mat. West grabbed onto her opponent’s legs as Dudieva landed more punches and looked to be OK as she tried to get back to her feet. However, referee Andrei Kovalev had seen enough, and he stopped the fight as a puzzled West looked on.

Dudieva has not lost since her February 2009 pro debut. All but one of her eight wins have come via first-round stoppage.

After an early exchange of kicks, Schneider scored a takedown straight into side control. She worked for a kimura and landed punches from the top. When Schneider stood, referee Yuji Shimada brought Buck back to her feet as well. Buck missed with a spinning backfist, and Schneider tagged her with a nice right-hook counter in the final minute.

Schneider took Buck back down in round two and returned to side control. She landed a handful of punches and moved to a crucifix position while pinning Buck’s arms. With no way to defend herself, Buck was helpless against the barrage of punches and elbows that followed, and Schneider was awarded the TKO win at the 2:29 mark.

Tuff-N-Uff crowns three new women’s champions

Leading amateur promotion Tuff-N-Uff crowned three new female champions this past Saturday night at “Tuff-N-Uff: The Fist-ival” in Las Vegas. In April 7 co-main event, Ashlee “The Terminator” Evans-Smith (5-3) captured the promotion’s 140-pound title with a unanimous-decision victory over Bridgette “Black Wolf” Batch (2-3).

Twins Jillian “Justice” Lybarger (4-4) and Jocelyn “Lights Out” Lybarger (4-2) were both scheduled to compete for titles on Saturday’s card. However, when Jillian was unable to make weight due to back spasms, her 115-pound title was stripped and awarded to opponent Stephanie “The Shark” Gonzalez (4-0). Jocelyn made weight for her bout and took a close split-decision win over Ashley Yoder (1-4) to take home the 125-pound women’s championship.

Kaline Medeiros (1-2) def. Stephanie “Snowflake” Eggink (1-1) by KO (punch) in just seven seconds at “Extreme Beatdown: Beatdown at 4 Bears 10″ on March 31 in New Town, N.D. Eggink suffered a severe concussion as a result of the quick knockout and was taken to the hospital following the fight, but she is expected to make a full recovery. Medeiros picked up her first win as a professional after setbacks in her first two fights.

Naoko Omuro (13-8-4) def. “Happy” Fukuko Hamada (7-7-1) by TKO (eye injury) at the 2:17 mark of round two at Pancrase Progress Tour 4 on April 1 in Tokyo. The bout was a rematch from August 2007, when Omuro submitted Hamada with an armbar at the 2:18 mark of the second round. She finished Hamada one second quicker in the rematch and has lost only once in her past eight fights.

On the same Pancrase card, Kyoko Kimura (2-0-1) def. South Korean kickboxer Sung Eun Kim (0-1) by TKO (punches) at the 61-second mark of round one. Kimura, a veteran pro wrestler who made her MMA debut in November, next will face Japanese standout Rin Nakai (10-0-1) at Pancrase Progress Tour 6 on May 20 in Okinawa.

Juliete “Ju Pitbull” de Souza Silva (2-0) def. Elisangela “Eli Mao de Pedra” Mesquita dos Santos (0-1) by submission (armbar) at the 4:15 mark of round three at Iron Man Vale Tudo 23 on April 7 in Macapa, Amapa, Brazil. De Souza has finished both of her opponents since making her pro debut in March.

Upcoming fights

“Little” Patricia Vidonic (6-2) faces Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig (5-4) at “XFC 17: Apocalypse” on Friday in Jackson, Tenn. A war of words recently broke out between the fighters, who both look to rebound from tough losses. Vidonic had a six-fight winning streak snapped by Jessica Aguilar in February. Herrig won five of six after dropping her pro debut, but she fell short against Carla Esparza at XFC 15 in December. This event airs live on HDNet.

Katie Merrill (1-0) faces Janice Meyer (0-0) at “American Fighting Organization: Night of Champions 4″ on April 13 in Mansfield, Mass. Merrill scored an impressive submission victory in her November pro debut. Meyer fights as a pro for the first time in the fight.

On the same Fight Me MMA card, Jessica “Raising Havoc” Halverson (2-1) returns to action after a lengthy layoff to face Nikita Netjes (0-0). Halverson fought three times in 2009, but she has not competed since a submission loss in November of that year. Netjes makes her pro debut after a pair of amateur bouts for NAAFS.

Tevi Say (3-2-1) also returns after an extended hiatus from competition when she faces Jenna “Valkyrie” Rea (0-0) at Pancrase Fighting Championship 4 on April 14 in Marseille, France. Say debuted in 2004 and maintained an active schedule before stepping away from the sport following a 2008 defeat to Aisling Daly. Rea makes her pro debut after two knockout wins in amateur bouts.

Also on the PFC 4 card in France, five-time boxing world champion Myriam “Dollar Baby” Lamare (0-0) makes her pro MMA debut against Italian kickboxing champion Annalisa Bucci (1-1). Lamare captured world titles for the WBA, WIBF, WIBA, WBF and IBF during her 20-3 boxing career and now makes the transition to MMA. Bucci earned a first-round TKO win in her May 2010 MMA debut but suffered a submission loss in her most recent fight this past month.

“Rowdy” Bec Hyatt (1-1) faces Daniela “Disko” Marjanovic (0-0) at Australian Fighting Championship 3 on April 14 in Melbourne, Australia. Hyatt rebounded from a brutal knockout loss in October by submitting Sarah Morrison in February. She looks for her second win when she faces Marjanovic, who makes her pro debut.

Hatice Ozyurt (1-0) faces Kamila Balanda (0-1) at Respect Fighting Championship 7 on April 21 in Essen, Germany. Ozyurt debuted with a decision win in November. Balanda remains in search of her first pro victory after falling to Yana Kunitskaya in late 2010.

Valerie “Trouble” Letourneau (4-2) faces Vanessa Mariscal (2-0) in the main event of “Freedom Fight: Caged Combat” on April 21 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Letourneau is currently riding an impressive three-fight winning streak with all three wins coming inside the distance. Mariscal remains unbeaten as a professional and most recently submitted Colleen Schneider in June.

On the same Freedom Fight card, unbeaten prospects collide when Claudia Gadelha (6-0) takes on Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena (3-0). Gadelha is one of Brazil’s top female fighters, and she has amassed a solid record that includes five submission wins. Pena has battled injuries in recent years, but she made a successful return to action with a victory in December. Parts of this bout will be filmed for “The Fight Exchange,” an MMA documentary that follows pro MMA fighters from Brazil and Canada. The documentary airs on Super Channel in Canada in October.

Kate Jackson (3-1) faces Rachael McMillan (0-0) at “Colosseum Sport MMA: Ultimate Conflict 2″ on April 21 in Guildford, England. Jackson is coming off of a 24-second knockout victory in March, and two of her three pro wins have come inside the first round. McMillan enters the pro ranks after winning her amateur debut in September.

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.

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